USA Swimming and global swimwear brand arena today unveiled their inspirational, one-of-a-kind Team USA Bishamon Collection kit ahead of next summer’s big event. Select pieces of the Americana branded uniform, which will be worn by every U.S. swimmer within the competition venue in Tokyo, go on sale for the holidays December 14.
“Arena has truly outdone themselves with the Bishamon Collection, not only creating stylish pieces for both our athletes and fans but so seamlessly marrying the rich tradition of the Japanese culture with the heart and soul of our team,” USA Swimming Chief Commercial Officer Shana Ferguson said. “We look forward to seeing these pieces on the world stage, as well as across the social realm from all the fans cheering us on at home.”
“We are honored to be the Exclusive Outfitter of the United States national swim team. From the first days of our partnership, our primary objective was to fully integrate the USA National Team staff into our product development process to ensure that our National Team range wasn’t just the best looking apparel on the global stage, but also met the demanding specifications of the world’s best swim team,” says Mark Pinger, General Manager for arena North America.
Arena, the Exclusive Outfitter of the U.S. swim team since 2013, invoked the warrior spirit and divine favor of Japanese tradition in the launch of the Bishamon Collection. One of the Seven Gods of Fortune in Japanese folklore, Bishamon (or Bishamonten) is an armor-clad warrior god, a guardian deity who protects and brings divine favor in battle. He carries a spear in one hand and, in the other, a pagoda symbolizes a divine treasure house, whose contents he both guards and gives away.
The USA Bishamon Collection honors this spirit, celebrating the fighter that exists in everyone, and supporting them with arena’s distinctive armor so that they can be at their very best during the heat of the battle, whether it’s in a global competition pool or a community center training session.
For the collection’s design, arena combined the Bishamon’s warrior expression with the pattern of his armor, the Bishamon Kikko, inspired by the shell of a tortoise and representing longevity and good luck. The result is a design that symbolizes both protection and good fortune, with a singular ultimate goal: victory.
The collection’s available pieces, including hooded jackets, half zip shirts, tank tops, raglan t-shirts, Bermuda shorts, long tights, and men’s and women’s swimwear, can be viewed at usaswimming.org/tokyokit and purchased at arenasport.com. Additional pieces will be available in the Spring of 2021.
